It was 1917 and the 3rd Battalion of the all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment was stationed in Houston. The troops were there for training before going to France to fight in World War I.
Unfortunately there were a lot of people in Houston who weren’t at all pleased to have that any Blacks arrive and it didn’t matter that these soldiers were there to sacrifice themselves for the war effort. Members of the Houston Police Department were hostile. And the members of the 3rd Battalion weren’t treated any better by white members of the army.
In Camp Logan opening at The Ensemble Theatre, based on an actual event, the drama tells how rumor, innuendo and racial tensions combined to result in the 1917 Houston riot — something that today, many people still don’t know about even if they’ve grown up in Houston.
Actor Kendrick “Kay B” Brown says he was one of them. Even though he’s spent most of his life in Houston, and even had heard of a Camp Logan, he didn’t know what had happened in 1917. “I actually am native of Houston. This is a story I never knew anything about,” says Brown who plays career soldier Joseph Moses in the play.
In the two-act play, tensions that were there to begin with only increased as the infantrymen suffered continuing racist treatment. Everything boiled over when the soldiers believed one of their men had been killed by a white officer known for his mistreatment of Blacks.
“We find out he’s alive, but he’s badly beaten,” Brown says. “We’ve learned that a mob is on its way to camp to try to kill us. So we prepare ourselves. Instead of meeting them there, we’re going to meet them halfway.
“Our captain and our superiors were actually trying to take our weapons which made it like they were allowing this white mob to come in and do whatever they wanted to do to us.”
Camp Logan was written by Celeste Bedford Walker and the Ensemble Theatre production is directed by Allie Woods, Jr. Other members of the cast include Elia Adams, Kristopher Adams, Jason E. Carmichael, Foster Davis, Tanner Ellis and Roc Living.
The outcome, in real life was disastrous. The marching soldiers opened fire, killing 11 civilians. Five policemen were killed as were five soldiers. A total of 118 solders were tried on mutiny charges and 110 were found guilty. Nineteen were hanged and 63 received life sentences. No white officers were disciplined and no civilians were tried.
In 2023, the Army set aside all 110 convictions saying the soldiers had not received fair trils given the racist attitudes of the time.
Brown said they had both a fight choreographer to help them with the fight scenes and a dramaturg who helped them understand the time period and the racial attitudes of the time.
“I want the audience to come away with the perspective that these are real people. Hopefully we can understand the history of Houston and this is something we can grown from and learn from and build a better community.”
Performances are scheduled for January 24 through February 23 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays , 2 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main. For more information, call 713-520-0055 or visit ensembletheatre.com. $35-$50.
